On The Edge of Somewhere
by bebobnidan
Summary: CaRWash- When a stalker from the past comes back to haunt Calleigh, she places her life in the hands of none other than Ryan Wolfe.  Implied past-E/C and mentioned R/N
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Most of you probably don't know me- I'm really a RaiN shipper, but I've always been open to CaRWash and personally both are equally viable. I also like Hiphuggers. Seriously, I like everyone! =) Anyway, this is probably a 5-10 chapter story with some serious CaRWash. Don't like? Don't read ****… R&R! **

On The Edge of Somewhere- Chapter 1

_"Case: Duquesne against Foreman. Plaintiff. State your reasoning."_

_ "Thank you, your honor," Calleigh greeted, turning her attention to the front of the courtroom. "Your honor, on May the 17__th__ 1999, Mr. Peter Foreman was at a seminar I was conducting about the collection of ballistic evidence and the analysis of stations on a bullet. Mr. Foreman asked me out for dinner, but I refused, insisting that I do not date those that I could potentially be working with."_

_ "Get to the point, Miss Duquesne," the judge replied tiredly, rubbing his wrinkled eyes._

_ "If you must know so quickly, sir, then I am appalled at the court of justice in Miami!" Calleigh snapped, and the judge straightened his posture and reluctantly gestured for her to continue. "Thank you. On May the 20__th__ 1999, I returned from my work and discovered Mr. Foreman's car outside, with him inside my house. I demanded that he leave, and he reluctantly complied. On May the 25__th__, the same incident occurred and I called the police. An Officer Jonson replied to the call. When he arrived, Mr. Foreman had disappeared and his car was gone. He chose not to believe me. On May the 26__th__, I left work and found roses on my front seat and he was hiding in the back seat. When I returned home, he followed me inside and slit my throat." Calleigh displayed the blatant injury that sliced its way across her neckline. The judge shuttered._

_ "Defense, what do you plead?"_

_ "Not guilty, your honor," Foreman replied, stealing a seductive glance at Calleigh, who shuddered and rolled her eyes in exhaustion._

_ "Your honor, respectfully," Horatio spoke up behind his CSI, "Miss Duquesne caught him with the bloody knife used to inflict that wound you see on her throat. She has a picture of him as he left her house, which clearly dictates that he was in fact inside the house._

_ "Defense, how do you answer to that?"_

_ "The crazy bitch gave me the knife! She told me that she'd… you know; get me some action if I hid it for her. I assumed she was trying to hide up something she did."_

_ "Profanity, please. Miss Duquesne?"_

_ "Your honor, please do not believe a word of that. There's no evidence to support his claim!" Calleigh cried, wiping her eyes. "There's no murder to coincide with his claim that I was covering something up, no agreement that would state that I was required to pay him for his deeds, and ABSOLUTELY no way that I would prostitute myself to that monster!"_

_ "Miss Duquesne, keep your voice down!" The judge shouted and the small blonde woman complied. "Court ruling? Take leave of forty minutes."_

_ He smashed his gavel, and the jury gathered to discuss. Calleigh ran her fingers through her hair and glanced up at Horatio, who smiled weakly. "We'll get through this, Miss Duquesne."_

_ "Call me Calleigh," she whispered and hugged him tightly. The surprised lieutenant returned the embrace awkwardly. "And thanks for being here, cowboy!" she mocked and tapped Frank on the top of his shiny head. _

_ "Just don't get too used to it, Cal," he grumbled and shifted through his papers._

_ "Frank," Horatio greeted coolly._

_ "Caine," Frank replied and turned back to his work._

_ "Court ruling, jury out!" The judge called. "Jury, how do you rule?"_

_ "The jury has ruled that Miss Duquesne should be granted a TRO against Mr. Foreman, but that the injuries she sustained are circumstantial."_

_ "That's bull crap and you know it! Frank called from behind her but Calleigh nodded._

_ "Court ruling, final!" The judge pounded his gavel._

Xxx

"AHH!" Calleigh screamed, waking up immediately. The pounding of the gavel from ten years ago echoed in her ears, replaced by the small knocking on her door. "Calleigh Duquesne!" she called through the door, peering through her peephole.

"Calleigh, it's Ryan," her companion's low voice answered.

"Come on in!" she greeted brightly and swung open the door. Ryan's eyes widened at the sight of her dressed in lacy panties and a small bra. She had a sweater draped over her shoulders but it did little to cover her voluptuous figure. Ryan blushed, pulling his hands out of the back of his jeans and placing them in front of his groin, immediately aroused and embarrassed. "Nice t-shirt," Calleigh called as she turned and quickly got ready. "You all set for our run?"

"Yeah, I wore my Converse," Ryan joked and she laughed from the other room.

"You also wore your jeans," Calleigh giggled as she walked back into the room. She was wearing tight black pants and a thin sweatshirt of the same color. She flashed him her bright white sneakers. "These are running shoes," she corrected and then took a swig out of her bright orange water bottle.

"Nice hair," he laughed and she quickly blushed, attempting to put it up in a ponytail. "You like clothes, I like hair," he noticed and turned around to begin jogging.

"Careful, shoes untied!" Calleigh called as Ryan tripped over his laces and tumbled face forward on the gravel driveway.

"I'm okay!" he cried, picking himself up off the ground, brushing off his white t-shirt and quickly fixing his hair. _Oh lord, _Calleigh though, laughing as he pulled out a comb and fixed his slightly spiked hair. _Why did I have that dream last night? _Calleigh thought to herself, a frown settling on her pale face. _That was ten years ago, _she thought and then called out to Ryan.

"You sure?"

"You gonna run?" Ryan challenged and Calleigh grinned.

"You wanna race?"

"I get a head start," Ryan whined, and she answered in the affirmative.

"You'll need it," she teased. "Five, four, three, two, one!"

She dashed after him as he skipped ahead. In spite of herself, Calleigh couldn't help but notice the way his biceps clenched as he huffed and puffed his way down the street in the intense Miami heat. _And that hair_, she thought to herself, but brushed the thought away. Ryan had always been a source of great discord in her life- she always had to be in control. Calleigh liked to be the strong one. She needed to be in control of everything- but Ryan was in control of himself. He was unpredictable, so Calleigh being in charge of him was very difficult. Chasing him now, she felt as though she'd been running after him since he'd joined the lab. She tried to be one step ahead of him at every point, but truthfully he was so unpredictable and headstrong and so goddamn BEAUTIFUL. _Damnit, Duquesne, keep your head in the game and win this race! _Ryan laughed as she began to pant.

"What is it, Duquesne? Can't take a challenge?"

"You, Wolfe, a challenge?" Calleigh mocked, and they both stopped to catch their breaths. "You wish."

"You look really hot when you sweat," Ryan blurted, before realizing what he said. _Jesus Christ, Ryan, keep your mouth shut! _He mentally berated himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Calleigh joked. _Don't read into it too much, Duquesne, he's just flirting, for goodness sake!_

"You wanna kiss me?" he challenged jokingly-or not really.

"You wish, Wolfe," she laughed and they continued to run, putting the awkward flirting behind them.

"Yeah, I do," he called after her and she burst into a fit of giggles.

Ryan had lost his initial head start and was eventually several yards behind the woman he found himself desperately in love with. _That smile_, he thought to himself, feeling suddenly ridiculous. _And that ass… Whoa, Wolfe, mind out of the gutter!_ Angry that he let himself become so dirty, and angry that he could not admit his feelings to his partner, he sighed and kicked a pebble in her direction. She turned back, offered a sad smile, and then her eyes glinted dangerously and she surged ahead with a sudden burst of speed. He'd always found himself attracted to her. He'd dreamt about her since the day he joined the lab. Sure, there was definitely something between himself and Natalia, and CERTAINLY everyone knew the history between Calleigh and Delko, but he found himself inexplicably drawn by some greater force towards Calleigh, with no hope of savior. And in some weird way, he never wanted that to end.

"Wolfe, eyes front and center!" Calleigh called. _Damnit, Calleigh, don't rush those things. All guys have wandering eyes- don't read into it that much._

"Sorry. Distracted," Ryan mumbled. _Damn you, 'Little Ryan'! _

"By what?" Calleigh called back jokingly.

_Your ass_, he thought. It scared him how close he came to saying that. "Why were you screaming when I came to pick you up today?" he breathed as he ran, his footsteps pounding against the pavement.

Xxx

_The pounding of Ryan's footsteps merged with the pounding on her door. Calleigh glanced quickly at the calendar, trying to memorize the date, knowing that someday it would be needed in court. July 25, 1999. Got it. She unlocked to door to be met with the murderous face of Peter Foreman glaring into her eyes._

_ "You bitch, almost got me busted!" he screamed._

_ "I have a TRO, Peter, against you. Now, I'm sure a therapist could explain to you what GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE means," Calleigh swore and turned around, grabbing her gun. She cocked the 9 mil in his face and tightened her finger on the trigger. "Don't make me shoot," she warned._

_ "That's so hot," he whispered, grabbing her by the waste._

_ "Get your hands off of me, Mr. Foreman," Calleigh snapped._

_ "Don't say you don't like it," he whispered._

_ "NO GIRL WOULD EVER LIKE THAT!" she snapped and kneed him in the groin. She drew her gun and pointed it directly at the top of his head, as he was doubling over in pain. "Pick up the phone," she began, "and call 9-1-1 for me. Tell them you trespassed and you're turning yourself in, or I'll shoot."_

_ The man awkwardly grabbed his phone. Calleigh watched him dial 9-1-1. She heard the dispatch officer's voice echo over the line. "9-1-1 Emergency Service. Please state the nature of your emergency."_

_ "My name is Peter Foreman. I'm at 211 Shell Cove…"_

Xxx

"211 Shell Cove," Ryan echoed, jogging slowly after her, "is a beautiful name for an address."

"Bad small talk, Ry," Calleigh joked as she ran in front of him. _Snap out of it Cal, it was just a daydream, _she thought to herself. _A bad one, _her conscience argued, but she forced it out of her hind. "Keep running!" she urged and he groaned.

"So, you and Delko, eh?" he sputtered, his jeans loosening as he ran farther.

"We can talk, Ryan, but not about me," she quipped and he grinned invisibly.

"Well, everyone knows there's something there."

"You are all such gossips!"

"Natalia's a gossip," Ryan replied earnestly.

"You love that gossip!" Calleigh corrected, laughing in spite of how it hurt her.

"I do not," Ryan grumbled. "Not that much," he admitted honestly. Yes, Ryan Wolfe was confused. Who knew?

"Admit that you're in love with Natalia and I'll tell you about me and Eric," Calleigh stopped jogging and waited for her companion to catch up. Ryan doubled over, panting, grabbing the edge of his knees as he bent over. _Ryan…bending over…I wish I were facing the other side of him…DAMNIT, CALLEIGH, STOP IT!_

"Fine. I was definitely in love with Natalia _at some point,_" Ryan confessed.

"Well then I'll let you know that I was definitely in love with Eric _at some point."_

"And now?"

"There's someone new," Calleigh challenged. Well, he wasn't exactly new. Calleigh had had a small insignificant crush on Ryan since he'd first joined. Things had hit low points, but Calleigh always felt challenged by Ryan, which was something new, strange and wonderful to her. He reminded her in some strange way of Jake. Ryan was in no way a bad boy, but he definitely showed potential. Calleigh grinned in spite of herself. The thought of Ryan wearing leather jackets and sporting a beard made her laugh out loud. In truth, Ryan was probably the preppiest person she'd ever met. What other guy would wear white suits and sweater vests but Ryan?

"Anyone I know?"

"You might," Calleigh stiffened at how close they were coming to dangerous territory: Calleigh Duquesne's feelings.

"Is he tall?" Calleigh smirked at the question. It was so obvious that the question was related to Ryan's general lack of immense height. 5'9 is fine, but Ryan was constantly worried about his stature-especially in comparison to Walter. Natalia, who was 5'7, had told Calleigh that she liked taller men, so Ryan had started wearing lifts. The very idea of Ryan in heels had made Calleigh burst out laughing.

"What?" Ryan asked defensively towards her giggles.

"Nothing. No, he's not very tall."

"Good," Ryan gushed, immediately regretting his words. _Damn, Wolfe, way to make it obvious. _"I mean, then everything will be easier…"

"Oh, would you shut up?" Calleigh laughed and raced ahead of them, their break clearly terminated. "Catch me if you can, handsome!" Ryan looked awkwardly after her, shocked at her words. _Handsome. _Maybe he was reading too much into this, but he think he just heard her call him _handsome. She's just being friendly, _he thought, shaking himself out of his dream. _That's just wishful thinking, _he convinced himself. All he knew is, there was no way he was going to catch up with Calleigh. In fact, with the view from back here, he was perfectly comfortable staying behind.

**Hope you liked! The stalker will get more involved than just flashbacks next time around- hopefully around 5 chapters long. I've never written CaRWash before, so cut me some slack please XD… Reviews much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I love writing this story a lot more than I expected… which scares the RaiN ½ of me LOL… don't worry! I love you and CaRWash equally =). There's a slight Hiphuggers past moment in this one, so hopefully that will satisfy some of you in some way. Anyway, review and please enjoy! [[Note: Already Gone, the sequel to BTHE, is on a slight hiatus]] **

On the Edge of Somewhere- Chapter 2

"Miss Duquesne," Horatio called, and Calleigh whipped around, surprised.

"Horatio. What is it?" she inquired, pushing the hair behind her ear.

"Calleigh," he began, removing his tinted shades, "are you aware that Mr. Foreman was released from Miami Dade Penitentiary this morning?"

"I am now," she whispered. "Horatio, how did he get out so soon?"

"It's average detainment for an attempted murder. Ten years roughly, am I right?"

"Yes, you are, Horatio, I'm sorry. I'm just…preoccupied." Calleigh watched slowly as Ryan spoke to Natalia, a bright grin covering his tan face as she joked and he chuckled in reply. She winced. Horatio followed her glance, his eyebrows knit in sudden realization and amusement, and then turned back to the woman in front of him. "Miss Duquesne, if you'd like protection…"

"I'll be fine, Horatio, I promise," Calleigh snapped. "Let's get back to work."

"If you need anything," he called after her, "you know where," he paused, as if for dramatic effect, "where to call."

"Hey Cal," Ryan called as he strode into ballistics. He watched her as she gazed at the screen intently.

"Hey Ry, you got anything for me?"

"I have the bullet from the Knowles case. It's your present."

"Aww, you shouldn't have," Calleigh drawled with a giggle and turned back to her work, scanning through several old newspaper articles from ten years ago. Ryan looked at her, confused.

"Hey, Calleigh, aren't you going to run this?" he inquired. There was a pause.

"Sorry, Ryan, I'm just miles away. I'll get to that after I look up on an old case… of mine," she mumbled awkwardly, clicking on an article in specific and scanned it with her gleaming emerald eyes.

"Which case?" Ryan breathed, his minty breath stinging her eyes and she immediately minimized the screen. Ryan laughed. "Apparently none of my business."

"Sorry… just a little personal," Calleigh whispered. "I'll run your bullet."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No, not really," Calleigh joked and turned to the bullet he had placed on the shelf.

"Good, because I was not ready for that," he laughed and turned to walk away.

"Ryan?" she called after him and he turned back towards her in response. "How about we have another run tonight? I'll tell you what… this is about."

"Okay, whatever you want. Meet you outside at six?"

"Sounds good," Calleigh agreed. "It's a date," she sputtered, immediately regretting the words. Ryan's eyes brightened noticeably and there was a slight skip in his step as he strode out of ballistics. "It's a date," Calleigh confirmed to herself, scratching the corner of her eye. _What the fuck are you doing, Duquesne?_

Xxx

_ "What the fuck are you doing, Duquesne?"_

_ Calleigh rolled her eyes and dropped the gun on her table. "Sorry, Eric, I was expecting someone else," she replied earnestly and ushered him inside. "You want dinner?" she asked, rummaging through her pantry. "I guess I could microwave some old pizza or something…" she began, tossing things over her shoulder. "There's always my aunt's brisket," Calleigh offered and Eric laughed._

_ "Just came by to see how you were doing. I heard the trial didn't go so well."_

_ "Meh," Calleigh replied, inspecting a week-old piece of calzone. "It could have gone better. He made a house call, actually, so now he's in jail for attempted murder. Joke's on him, the bastard."_

_ "Cal!" Eric cried, shocked. "He came to your _house _and you didn't even tell me? Listen, babe, you should tell me about those things! I could've helped! I could've stayed with you so you were safe!"_

_ "That's very sweet," Calleigh complimented, "but totally unnecessary. Last time you slept on my couch I distinctly remember hearing some unruly noises during the night, so let's just keep our relationship as is," she joked and Eric blushed._

_ "I told you, that was the movie!" Eric whined._

_ "Did you add your own soundtrack?" Calleigh teased and he burned darker with a blush._

_ "Cal…" he groaned and she smiled._

_ "Oh ease up, you know I'm just joking."_

_ There was a small knock at the door. Calleigh grabbed her gun absently, and Eric noticed the gesture but dropped it. He supposed it had become second nature since the attack five weeks ago. Calleigh opened the door to Speedle's smiling face. "Ice cream's here," he greeted and Calleigh smiled softly._

_ "You did not have to do that, Timmy," Calleigh spoke quietly. _

_ "Well, I gotta run anyway, but I figured what Delko's Cuban sex can't fix, ice cream will!" Tim joked, and Calleigh frowned in mock anger._

_ "You're lucky you brought ice cream," Calleigh challenged, offered a small grin, and slammed the door in his face. Eric, in spite of himself, smirked widely at her discomfort. She turned her eyes back to him. "Eric… this stalker… he'll go away, won't he?" she whispered, her eyes swimming. _Oh god, she's gonna cry,_ Eric thought, and immediately grabbed her hands. _

_ "Calleigh, honey, don't worry about him. He'll be in jail for a long time. You'll completely forget about him, I promise."_

Xxx

But she hadn't forgotten. She hadn't forgotten the knife to her throat, the drawling seductive words whispered in her ear as he raped her, nor the soft humming of a lullaby as she drifted into unconsciousness. And for the life of her, Calleigh didn't think she'd ever forget. Calleigh slipped on her light sweatshirt and grabbed her purse, slamming her locker door. Ryan meandered into the locker room and smiled as he saw her.

"Hey Cal, you wanna run or not?"

Calleigh nodded. "Let's go. Sorry for the wait- I was just cleaning my locker."

"It's okay- it's only 7:00," Ryan dismissed, clearly a little hurt.

Calleigh's jaw dropped in surprised. _7:00? You planned it for 6:00! _"Ryan- I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to forget about it, I've just got a lot on my mind."

"I can see that," Ryan agreed and sat down on the bench. Calleigh locked her cabinet and turned to sit down next to him, sighing. "You wanna tell me what you were going to on our run?"

"I don't know. It's not even all that important."

"Calleigh, I'm giving you an out," Ryan observed quietly and she nodded.

"Okay. Ten years ago, a man named Peter Foreman was in a seminar I was directing. He asked me out, and I turned him down. A few times he confronted me and sent me flowers. I continued to reject him, and then I called the police. When they got to my house, he was gone. One day I returned home and he slit my throat," Calleigh paused slightly as Ryan gasped. "I testified, and they only granted a TRO instead of charging him with attempted murder. He attacked me one last time and the police caught him. Today… he was released."

"Cal- you can't think that he'll come after you, honey!" Ryan whispered.

"I'm the reason he was in there for ten years, Ry," she muttered. "What if he wants revenge?"

"I won't let him," Ryan spoke firmly. "I'll stay at your place tonight."

"Ryan, that's sweet, but completely unnecessary. I'll be fine."

"Really? Just as _fine _as you were ten years ago?"

"Ryan…" Calleigh protested and he shushed her by placing a finger over her mouth.

"No arguments. I'll sleep on the couch."

"How is that gonna do either of us any good? Me ending up dead from an attack through the window, and you ending up with a stiff neck the next day?"

Ryan's eyes widened. "Calleigh, don't say that!"

"Hey, if anyone can make tasteless jokes, it's me," Calleigh laughed and he joined in, albeit feeling slightly fearful for her. "Ry, seriously, I'll be okay."

"Stop saying that," Ryan snapped and Calleigh looked up at him, shocked that he would be speaking to his superior like that. "I'm staying at your place tonight whether you like it or not, got it?"

"Got it." Calleigh replied, wiping her eyes.

"Good. Meet you at your house in an hour?"

"See you then," Calleigh agreed. As Ryan stood to leave, she grabbed his arm and he stopped. Calleigh stood up timidly and molded her body into his. She planted a soft kiss against his chapped lips, sucking lightly on his bottom lip, before releasing him and smiling softly. "I'll be waiting." Ryan watched as Calleigh took the initiative and walked away from the charged moment. He eyed the swaying of her hips and slowly raised one eyebrow, subconsciously impressed. Calleigh caught his staring, rolled her green eyes, and trotted off, energized from their electric moment under the spotlight. _I can't wait for tonight, _Ryan thought.

Xxx

_"I can't wait for tonight!" Eric called as he locked his locker._

_ "Really? I never took you as a dancer!" Calleigh remarked sarcastically and slammed the locker door. "I'm not going."_

_ "Why not, Calleigh?"_

_ "I'm not gonna dance alone! I'm not very good, either."_

_ "I'd dance with you," Eric offered nonchalantly. _

_ "Hmmm…we'll see," Calleigh grinned and her friend groaned._

_ "Calleigh, I'm gonna be there with Speed and his girlfriend- alone!"_

_ "Well, get a girlfriend!" Calleigh teased as she scribbled a few notes on her palm._

_ "I've been bugging you about that for two years," Eric quipped and Calleigh rolled her eyes and laughed._

_ "Eric, just find some hot blonde at the Department Ball and let me know where she lives so I can send her a 'thank you'-note. _

_ "Low, Calleigh, that's low," Eric laughed and stood to walk out of the room. _

_ Calleigh's eyes widened at the note she was reading that she had found in her locker._

_ "Cal, what does it say?"_

_ "It says: 'thinking of you'… Love Peter," she whispered._

_ "That could mean anything. Could be that guy Elliot that keeps hitting on you."_

_ "Eric… I need to get this to QD!" Calleigh grabbed some Latex gloves and started walking away from him._

_ "Great, we'll go to the ball from there," Eric chuckled and Calleigh smirked._

_ "I don't have a dress, Eric," she whispered._

_ "Ah, so that means you would consider going if you had a dress? SCORE!" Calleigh laughed at Eric's immaturity. "Alright, we'll just…"_

_ "Call my fairy godmother? I'll meet you outside at 8:00 and then I _might _decide to go. Is that fine?"_

_ "You always are!" Eric quipped. Calleigh rolled her eyes._

_ "Another great pickup line from Mr. Delko. I'll be at QD if you find my fairy godmother."_

Xxx

211 Shell Cove. He'd be waiting.

**Alright, I know I promised that the stalker would show up in this one, but I'm just trying to build the tension. He'll show up in the next one and the confrontation/action will begin. R&R!**


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